Cristiano Ronaldo will appear before a judge in Madrid on July 31 to defend allegations of tax fraud. (Source: Reuters)
Cristiano Ronaldo will appear before a judge in Madrid on July 31 at 11 AM to testify in the case that is investigating allegations of tax fraud levelled at the Portuguese player. He is alleged to have defrauded on his image rights for four years between 2011 and 2014 to the tune of 14.7 million Euros. He will testify at the Pozuelo de Alarcón in Madrid on the date.
On June 13, the Spanish tax authorities filed a complaint against the Real Madrid player for tax offences spanning four years. He was alleged to have defrauded the tax authority for a sum of 14.7 million Euros. The alleged crimes correspond to the years of 2011 to 2014 – he had joined the Spanish club in 2009.
The Spanish prosecutor alleged in the documentation that Ronaldo took advantage of a corporate structure created in 2010 to hide his income generated in Spain by way of image rights. It further added that the star forward was aware of legal obligations of paying tax in Spain. As per a report in El Mundo, in Spain, Ronaldo is speculated to have diverted revenues from image rights to the tune of 150 million Euros to tax havens.
The Portuguese player is rumoured to have sought a move away from Real Madrid after the case was made by the Spanish Tax Authorities. Portuguese outlet A Bola claimed that the national team skipper, currently playing at the Confederations Cup in Russia, has told his agent Jorge Mendes to get him back to Manchester United.
Spanish prosecutor also filed a complaint against former Real Madrid and current Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho for tax fraud. Last year Barcelona player Lionel Messi and father Jorge were convicted of tax fraud to the tune of 4.1 million Euros on his image rights which were controlled by offshore companies in Belize and Uruguay. They were handed 21-month jail terms in a ruling that was confirmed by Spain’s supreme court. Now it is up to the Barcelona trial court to decide whether the sentences should be suspended in accordance with Spanish custom for first-time offenders whose prison terms do not exceed two years.
